The New Zealand winger is attracting interest from the likes of Liverpool and Juventus but Thompson, who returned to the Victory line-up for the 5-0 win over Newcastle Jets on the weekend, feels his protégé won't be able to shine without him by his side.

"I was giving it to him a bit during the week saying (if) he wants to move to Juventus or Liverpool that he needs me on that pitch," Thompson quipped.

"It was good for him to be on the scoresheet. He's been one of our outstanding players and the team's always going to do well when he's scoring goals."

Rojas has scored 14 goals from 22 matches this season with a high percentage of those coming in games that Thompson, who has not played on six occasions, has started.

About the author

Andrew Slevison is an avid sports fan, particularly of the world game. The Melbourne, Australia native, who has spent time living in London and travelling South America, takes a keen interest in the English Premier League and Major League Soccer and rates his best live footballing moment as the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil.